About

This website is dedicated to teaching the common man how to do good research. There is a good deal of outdated material out there by my predecessors, some of which has been replaced by internet resources, some methods were never possible before. Also, there is a new wave of bad information riding on the winds of free blogs, and I’m going to aid the new breed of treasure hunters by outlining the methods to vet unknown authors and known authors.

I also intend to illustrate the method to bust illogical stories such as the KGC (Knights of the Golden Circle), booby trapped treasure troves, and other wildly irrational treasure tales. Hollywood will hate me when I’m done.

I’m an engineer and treasure hunter. I’ve hunted treasures in multiple countries, including South America, Central America, and Africa. I’ve been marginally successful on some of these expeditions, and would have been more successful had I more time in the field. But more time in the field is more costly, which lowers the return of the expedition. (if there is any return at all) With that experience, I can soundly say that hunting locally is the best choice you’ll ever make. The foreign field trips were good adventure, but they were funded by local successes.

There is no doubt good treasure hunting requires patience, planning, and a day job. So don’t kid yourself on that.

At this point, I’ve become so proficient at research that I’d like to freely share it with the community of fellow treasure hunters. Further, I intend to write a definitive book about how to do good research for treasure hunting in 2012. That lofty goal is not an I’ll-do-it-someday pledge, but one that I’ve already outlined the book and am 10,000 words into it. I’ve also had the luxury of writing two other monographs on a focused subject so I know what I’m getting into.

And no, von Helsing is not my real name. At this point in my engineering career, it would be a bad idea to become publicly known as a treasure hunter. That is a sad reflection on the societal perception of treasure hunters. If I lose street credibility on that fact, I’ll understand. But understand, I don’t need street cred to find what I seek. So I’ll advise you to keep your head down if you are a serious hunter. Little good will come out of going public.